Category: Philippine Star

One last run together ended with an Asian Games medal for the Philippines’ Honor of Kings (HOK) squad.

Under the banner of the country’s national esports team, Sibol, the Filipino gamers took home a bronze medal in the 20th Asian Games after bowing to defending champion China, 0-2, in the semifinals Monday at the Aichi Sky Expo.

But beyond adding another medal to the country’s esports haul, the campaign also marked a final run together for a group of players who had spent much of their professional careers as teammates.

The Sibol HOK squad reunited the former Blacklist International core months after the organization withdrew from the Philippine Kings League ahead of the Fall 2026 season.

The team’s departure scattered the former teammates across the league, with Juschie Tan, Charles Esguerra and Dragon Dajao moving to TNT Tropang Alab; Golden Dajao joining Titan Esports Club; and Chammy Nazarrea signing with Boom Esports. Meanwhile, former head coach Gerard Gelacio had taken a break from the pro scene.

The Asian Games offered them one more opportunity to play alongside each other, this time for the Philippines.

‘Yung naglaro kami together ulit. Yun yung pinaka-memorable sa akin kasi ‘di na kami magkaka-team sa PKL, pero ngayon magkaka-team kami para ipaglaban yung Pilipinas. Masaya na medyo malungkot. Malungkot kasi last dance na talaga, hanggang dito na lang. Masaya naman kasi kahit ‘di na kami magkaka-team, andoon pa rin yung closeness namin with each other, and may na-achieve pa kami na medal. So super happy talaga,’ said Tan.

The reunion produced one final podium finish for a core that had already enjoyed success together under Blacklist.

The team won the PKL Fall 2025 championship and made several deep international runs, including a third-place finish at the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3 and a top-four showing at the Honor of Kings International Championship.

In Aichi, under the banner of the national esports team, the former Blacklist squad finished second in Pool B after sweeping Kazakhstan and falling to Malaysia before beating South Korea, 2-0, in the quarterfinals to assure itself of a medal.

China proved to be the end of the road, sweeping the Filipinos in the semifinals to deny them a spot in the gold-medal match.

Still, head coach Gelacio was proud of what his players accomplished in their final tournament together.

‘Sobrang proud pa rin ako sa mga players ko kasi nakakuha pa rin kami ng medal and history ‘yun kasi mahirap din yung nakalaban namin sa semis which is yung top contender na China. Sobrang happy pa rin kami sa na-achieve namin dito sa Asian Games,’ said Gelacio.

For the former head coach of Blacklist International, getting the group back together and ending its run with a medal made the final chapter worthwhile.

‘Sobrang saya na nagsama-sama ulit kami for the last time. And sobrang worth it ng last dance namin kasi nakapag-uwi kami ng bronze medal para sa Pilipinas. Proud of the boys na ginawa pa rin nila lahat for the last time,’ he added.

The bronze was the country’s second esports medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games after the Sibol’s Pokémon Unite squad also finished third.

The national esports team’s campaign continues Tuesday with its Identity V squad facing Indonesia at 9 a.m., with a quarterfinal berth at stake. The team had a slow start in their first group stage matches, losing 0-2 to both Thailand and Chinese Taipei in Pool A.

Emphasizing the importance of reaching communities in need and helping them recover from emergencies, Sen. Bong Go extended assistance to families affected by a fire in Barangay 23, Caloocan City on Sept. 24.

Go distributed financial aid, meals, grocery packs, water containers, snacks, shirts, vitamins and pens.

Seventy-eight beneficiaries received basketballs or volleyballs.

Selected recipients were given a bicycle, watch, shoes and a mobile phone.

Prior to the aid distribution, Go proceeded to the fire’s ground zero to personally assess the extent of damage and check on the condition of the affected residents.

The road to Asian Games glory begins today for tennis star Alex Eala.

And standing as the first obstacle is an upset-seeking opponent from the Philippines’ regional rival Thailand -Patcharin Cheapchandej.

As top seed in Aichi-Nagoya, world No. 18 Eala had the luxury of an opening-round bye and an extra day of practice yesterday while the rest of the unseeded bets – Cheapchandej, included – attended to business in the first salvo of women’s singles action.

Cheapchandej dispatched Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab Qureshi, 6-1, 6-1, to earn a crack at the fancied Pinay lefty, who’s expected to draw a big crowd of supporters at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya.

Eala goes to work in the third featured match at Centre Court firing off after the 9 a.m. (Manila time) men’s singles Round of 32 duel between home bet Matsuoka Hayato and Hong Kong’s Kairan Thompson and the succeeding women’s doubles Round of 32 gig between Japan’s Momoko Kobori and Ayano Shimizu Ayano and Nepal’s Swastika Bista and Shivali Gurung.

Tenny Madis, the other Filipina entered in singles play, failed to join Eala to second round as she fell to seventh seed Himeno Sakatsume of Japan, 6-1, 6-0, right out of the gate.

And so the nation’s only hope in the singles now falls on its strongest weapon.

With her glowing credentials, Eala holds the clear advantage against the 31-year-old Thai.

She sits 492 places higher in the WTA rankings than Cheapchandej, whose highest career standing was at 356th back in June.

Eala is playing against the big guns at the world’s biggest stage – beating a slew of them over the last two years – while Cheapchandej is competing in the Women’s World Tennis Tour, the entry-level and mid-level tour for women’s professional tennis.

The well-followed Pinay, who scored her breakthrough WTA Tour title in Washington last month, also enjoys the head-to-head edge against Cheapchandej, a 13-time singles winner in the ITF circuit.

In the only time they faced off at the 2022 ITFW25 Chiang Rai, Eala blazed away with a 6-3, 6-4 Round of 16 win on her way to the crown on Thai soil.

Still, the Philippine stalwart isn’t about to let her guard down.

Just hours after arriving from Singapore, Eala buckled down to work in an intense practice session with teammates Madis and Stefi Aludo.

Aside from the singles, Eala will also strut her stuff in the women’s doubles, partnering with Shaira Hope Rivera.

They will battle Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu of Hong Kong in the first round. Winner gets to face the No. 3 seed pair of Xinyu Jiang and Zhaoxuan Yang of China.

It was a mixed bag for Philippine athletics Sunday morning – one ticket punched, two hearts broken.

Veteran Janry Ubas kept the medal hopes alive as the 32-year-old former SEA Games champion booked his spot in the men’s long jump final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a 7.59m clearance on his second attempt at Mizuho Park Stadium.

The mark hit the strict qualifying standard and placed him eighth overall among 12 finalists in a brutal field led by Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov at 8.00m.

‘Sobrang happy kasi na-hit agad ang qualifying standard. Sobrang lakas talaga, parang final na,’ Ubas said.

Leading on-demand delivery and ride-hailing platform Lalamove is expanding its footprint across the Philippines, bringing its services to key areas in Mindanao and further into the Visayas, beyond the island of Cebu.

True to its commitment to helping Filipinos move, the expansion reinforces Lalamove’s goal of providing fast, reliable and accessible delivery and ride-hailing services that support businesses, make everyday mobility more convenient, and create livelihood opportunities for its growing network of partner drivers.

The expansion marks Lalamove’s official entry into Mindanao, with services set to launch soon across key highly urbanized areas, including: Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Bukidnon, Butuan, Iligan, Pagadian and Dipolog.

Meanwhile, Lalamove is also widening its presence in Visayas.

Having been serving Cebu since 2022-with ride-hailing services introduced in 2025-the company is set to expand further across the islands of Panay and Negros, opening new opportunities for individuals and MSMEs in the metropolitan centers of Iloilo, Roxas, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Kabankalan.

‘We’re excited about the rapid growth of Visayas and Mindanao and are committed to supporting this progress with fast, affordable, and reliable delivery and ride services. Through technology and digitalization, we aim to empower more Filipinos, MSMEs, and partner drivers with reliable transport and logistics solutions,’ said Djon Nacario, managing director, Lalamove Philippines.

Starting last September 1, interested partner drivers can sign up and take advantage of exclusive perks, including free registration with no top-up required, discounted LalaBags, and access to Lalamove’s Panalomove Driver Benefits.

These offers are designed to help new partner drivers get started and make the most of the opportunities available on the platform.

Since launching in Manila in 2016, Lalamove has been helping individuals and businesses move by making deliveries faster and simpler. As the company expands its reach, safety remains a key priority.

Lalamove also continues to prioritize flexible earning opportunities for its partner drivers. Since December 2025, its ride-hailing services have operated at zero commission, allowing partner drivers to take home 100% of the fare.

With its growing footprint across Mindanao and Visayas, Lalamove continues to bring its services closer to more Filipinos-helping businesses reach customers, making everyday journeys more convenient, and creating more opportunities for communities to move forward.

Consumers could get an LPG price cut of at least P3 per kilogram this week, only to face a much larger increase days later as global costs push higher.

Arnel Ty, president of the LPG Marketers Association, said Monday, September 28, that prices were expected to fall by at least P3 per kilogram following the government’s three-month suspension of excise taxes on liquefied petroleum gas and kerosene.

But Ty also warned of a possible P10-to-P15-per-kilogram increase as early as October 3, depending on the final computation of world-market prices.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 125 on September 25, granting the temporary excise-tax relief.

Ty said the industry learned through coordination with the Bureau of Customs that the tax-driven reduction would be implemented within the week.

Republic Gas Corp., or Regasco, will cut its LPG price by P3 per kilogram starting Wednesday, September 30.

The reduction could reach P3.36 per kilogram once the 12% value-added tax imposed on the excise tax is included, Ty said. The Department of Energy has yet to formalize the final equivalent price adjustment.

“Sa ngayon, Department of Energy na po ang magpo-formalize kung ano po ang dapat na equivalent po niyan,” Ty told dzMM. (“For now, the Department of Energy will formalize the appropriate equivalent reduction.”)

Relief may be short-lived

The tax relief could be quickly overwhelmed by a projected increase in LPG prices in early October.

Ty said the final adjustment would be calculated on October 1 and could take effect October 3.

He attributed the expected increase to higher world-market prices and shipping premiums amid geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

“Lubhang napakataas po ng inangat ng premium cost. It is almost $200 plus per metric ton,” Ty said. (“The premium cost has risen sharply. It is almost $200-plus per metric ton.”)

The excise-tax suspension will remain in effect despite the expected market-driven increase, potentially cushioning what consumers would otherwise pay.

Under the directive, the tax relief can last for up to three months. The excise tax may be restored one week after the one-month average price of Dubai crude falls below the $80-per-barrel benchmark.

The national government slashed its gross borrowings by 72.2 percent in August from a year earlier, as the absence of a retail Treasury bond (RTB) sale pulled down domestic borrowings, the Bureau of the Treasury said.

Data from the Treasury showed that total gross borrowings fell to P141.27 billion in August from P508.53 billion in the same period last year.

The sharp decline was largely a timing effect. The government raised P425.61 billion in new money from an RTB offering in August 2025, while no RTB was issued in the same month this year.

However, the government released the notice of offering for its RTB sale last week, seeking to raise at least P30 billion, with the offer period slated to run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7. The issue date is set for Oct. 12.

Bulk or 90.6 percent of borrowings in August came from local lenders at P127.93 billion, 74.3 percent lower than the P498.21 billion a year ago.

The August domestic borrowings comprised P125.16 billion in fixed-rate Treasury Bonds and P2.77 billion in short-term T-bills.

In terms of external debt, the Treasury secured P13.34 billion, up by 29.3 percent from P10.31 billion in the comparative month in 2025. The entire amount was sourced from project loans.

For the eight-month period, borrowings slipped by 0.5 percent to P2.25 trillion from P2.27 trillion in the January to August 2025 period.

As of end-August, domestic borrowings dropped by 8.9 percent to P1.68 trillion while offshore financing rose by 35.7 percent to P578.2 billion.

The government has completed around 82 percent of the P2.73-trillion borrowing plan it crafted for the year.

Of the P2.73 trillion, P1.92 trillion will come from the domestic market while P815.51 billion will be sourced externally.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has challenged PNP personnel to increase to 100 percent the organization’s efficiency rate in responding to Unified 911 calls.

The PNP recorded a 96.15-percent efficiency rate from January to August, prompting Nartatez to push for faster and more reliable emergency response.

‘An efficiency rate of 96.15 percent is a strong performance, but for a service as critical as Unified 911, every second matters and every call could mean a life,’ Nartatez said. ‘We must not be satisfied with what we have achieved. Our goal is 100-percent efficiency because every caller deserves a swift, reliable and life-saving response from the PNP.’

Unified 911 handles emergency calls requiring police assistance, fire suppression, search and rescue, ambulance services and other urgent interventions.

Nartatez said response assets would be a priority in the PNP’s 2027 budget to ensure emergency calls result in timely action on the ground.

‘Our goal is not simply to answer calls, but to turn every call for help into a timely and effective response,’ he said.

Motorcycle fleet

Meanwhile, to boost response to emergency calls, more motorcycle units will be acquired and deployed by the PNP.

Expanding the PNP’s motorcycle fleet forms part of efforts to modernize frontline operations, particularly in congested urban areas and far-flung rural communities, according to Nartatez.

‘Gone are the days when policemen are being portrayed in movies as always the last to arrive in an emergency situation,’ he said over the weekend.

Seventy-three motorcycle units were turned over recently by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to Metro Manila police.

‘The provision of motorcycles will help our personnel better respond to the calls of our kababayans in the Unified 911 otline,’ Nartatez said.

Up to P2 billion has been allocated under the PNP program to fund mobility assets.

The National Food Authority (NFA) has adopted a purchase order (PO) system for procuring locally produced palay or unmilled rice, aimed at streamlining and improving monitoring of buffer stock volumes.

NFA administrator Larry Lacson said the agency has started implementing the PO system during the current wet season harvest, allowing farmers to formalize procurement commitments.

Under the PO system, the NFA establishes a formal arrangement that provides farmers with assured market access and predictable procurement schedules.

‘The farmer will just have to wait for their harvest and then bring it to the NFA. This is on top of our regular procurement,’ he told reporters.

It will also allow the agency to efficiently plan warehouse utilization, drying operation manpower deployment and allocation of funding.

The system improves the agency’s accountability and traceability of transactions to ensure that the palay procured by the NFA complies with the prescribed quality and documentary requirements.

Eligible farmers and farmers’ organizations or cooperatives must first be included in the Registry for Basic Sectors in Agriculture or issued a certification from the municipal agriculture officer.

The agency noted that the maximum that a farmer may deliver to the NFA is about 200 bags or 10,000 kilos of palay, noting that the ceiling may be modified in the future.

The NFA is expecting to reach about 592,000 MT in palay procurement by the end of the year, far below its 790,000 MT target for 2026.

Lacson earlier said that the agency was only able to procure about 92,032 MT of palay during the January to September period.

The remaining 500,000 MT will be purchased from the recent wet season rice harvest.

The NFA has set a buying price of P22 per kilo for wet palay and 27 per kilo for dry palay during the wet season harvest, which usually spans from September to November.

A police official testified Monday, September 28, that 51 firearms with a combined market value of more than P7.2 million are registered to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

This was shared by prosecution witness Police Maj. Joericson Sanggalang, records chief of the Philippine National Police’s firearms and explosives office, during the impeachment trial on Monday.

The unfurling of evidence in the trial of the vice president, however, has appeared to slow down in the eyes of some senator-judges. Sen. Migz Zubiri at one point likened the prosecution’s recent presentation of evidence as a “big firework” fizzling out into a “kwitis (small rocket).”

Prior to the direct examination of Sanggalang, Zubiri and other senator-judges asked the prosecution why it deemed relevant to present a witness who will testify to Duterte’s firearms, for Article II, which accuses her of possessing unexplained wealth.

Presiding Officer Sen. Chiz Escudero eventually allowed the prosecution to complete its presentation of the witness but asked it to shorten its line of questioning.

Here are the three highlights from today’s proceedings.

1. Police official testifies on VP’s firearms

At least 22 firearms are registered to Duterte and 29 to Carpio, Sanggalang said during the direct examination, led by House prosecutor Rep. Ysabel Zamora (San Juan). He put the market value of the vice president’s firearms at P2,184,550.

Sanggalang said three of Duterte’s rifles are Class A light weapons, which have fully automatic functions.

He said the firearms law allows law enforcement agencies such as the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to acquire such weapons. Individuals who owned them before the law took effect may keep them registered.

Sens. Zubiri, Erwin Tulfo, Tito Sotto, and Alan Cayetano questioned the relevance of the testimony. Zubiri and Sotto said officials commonly declare firearms as personal property in their statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN). “Many of us are firearms owners here, if not all members of the Senate,” Zubiri said.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo later called the testimony “a waste of time.”

Escudero, prior to making a ruling, said he himself was “headed towards excluding this witness.” He noted that P7 million would be “well within the SALN [Duterte] submitted of P88 million as of the latest.”

Zamora said however SALN guidelines require registered firearms to be declared individually. The defense said those guidelines apply only to SALNs filed from 2026.

Escudero decided to press on with Sanggalang’s presentation but, like other senators, was candid in expressing his doubts on its relevance to the impeachment case.

“We find this witness not as convincing with respect to ill-gotten wealth as would be others,” Escudero said.

Sanggalang confirmed that the values presented before the court were based on current market prices, not on the actual acquisition cost.

The defense did not cross-examine him.

2. PhilGEPS official: 11 of 15 Davao City contracts with GenCorp not publicly bid

During the first half of the proceedings today, Sopeña told Sen. Risa Hontiveros that 11 of the 15 Davao City contracts with GenCorp went through negotiated small value procurement. That method is used for low-value contracts and does not require public bidding.

He estimated the 11 contracts at P7 million to P8 million in total, out of about P34 million in Davao City contracts with the company.

Sopeña said none of the 11 exceeded P2 million. He said all carried the title “food and catering services” but were published and awarded on different dates.

Under cross-examination by defense counsel Roberto Batungbacal, Sopeña confirmed that 34 of GenCorp’s 49 contracts were awarded by PhilHealth Region 11 and OWWA Region 11, not by Davao City.

Lead prosecutor Rep. Jinky Luistro argued that GenCorp’s participation in the city’s bidding was a conflict of interest under Article VII, Section 13 of the Constitution.

Escudero noted that Duterte’s SALN declares her a GenCorp stockholder, while Securities and Exchange Commission Director Gerardo Del Rosario previously testified that the company’s records do not list her.

“So that is one difference that still has to be reconciled at some point,” Escudero said.

He said he expects both sides to address the discrepancy.

Sen. Ping Lacson meanwhile urged the defense to reconsider its approach of relying purely on technical questions, as these were not registering well with senator-judges.

The questions suggest the standard is proof beyond reasonable doubt, the level required in criminal cases, “which I believe is not the case in this impeachment trial,” Lacson said.

3. Baste Duterte to testify Tuesday; rulings due

Escudero granted Davao Mayor Baste Duterte’s request to testify on Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Monday.

In a letter, the mayor said he needed time to gather, organize, authenticate, and reproduce the documents covered by his subpoena, including contracts that Davao entered with GenCorp.

The prosecution also dropped PhilHealth witness Gary Samonte, a lawyer.

The court will rule Tuesday on the prosecution’s request for admission on Duterte’s bank records and other documents. A request for admission asks the other side to admit or deny matters so they need not be proven through witnesses.

Rep. Chel Diokno said the request would spare the court from hearing 20 more witnesses. However, lead defense counsel Sheila Sison argued that it runs against the constitutional right to remain silent.

The court will also rule on show cause orders issued last week to certain House prosecutors under the sub judice rule, which restricts public comment on pending cases.

After Baste Duterte, the prosecution will present two Davao City register of deeds officials and Atty. Ronnel Buenaventura, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat.

Whole-day trials begin October 1.